A man surnamed Chen was detained for seven days for smashing an app-based taxi’s window over a dispute about a traffic fine incurred after his girlfriend refused to fasten her seat belt while taking the taxi May 30, the Shenzhen Evening News reported.
The incident happened in Longgang District where Chen’s girlfriend, identified as Zhou, hailed a Didi from Buji to Dafen Village. The Didi driver, surnamed Qin, picked up Zhou in Buji.
When Zhou got into the car, Qin told her to buckle up, but Zhou refused as she thought it was only a short-distance trip. Qin’s car was stopped by a traffic police officer and fined 200 yuan (US$31.16) for allowing the passenger to ride without fastening her seat belt.
Qin said he felt wronged because he had told Zhou to buckle up. He asked Zhou to pay half of the fine. Zhou refused to share the fine, saying that Didi does not have a rule requiring a passenger to pay a fine.
They continued to argue throughout the rest of the trip until a new conflict occurred when the car approached Dafen.
“I told the driver to turn left, but he ignored me and kept driving,” Zhou said. “I was afraid, so I called my boyfriend.”
On the other hand, Qin said he was just following the navigation route he had set upon accepting Zhou’s order. When Qin stopped at the destination, Chen was waiting at the roadside.
Chen knocked on the window to indicate for Qin to open the door, but Qin would not, so Chen lifted a road sign off the street and used it to smash the window of the car.
Qin said that although the car was locked at the time, Zhou could have opened the door from the inside any time she wanted.
Qi Yanbing, a lawyer from a local law firm, said since the driver did not actually restrict the passenger’s ability to open the car door, he did not commit the crime of detention.
According to traffic rules, drivers must assure that their passengers fasten their seat belts before driving.